UPDATES, but no releases sorry

Eugh this is my third time writing this. What's up with this bloody laptop!!!!

CKM Scans' anniversary was yesterday by the way, so it came and went this year...

I guess I wanted to release stuff, but really busy.

This is a bit of the history, but it's not really important so I'm putting it in spoiler tags.

Spoiler:

Two and a half years ago, I realised the stuff I had been watching as a kid (and still watching) were called "anime" and they were based on "manga". I had nothing better to do than getting 100% every algebra pre-test and do nothing but make layouts with html, css and javascript everyday. I...devoured manga I guess, read everything that interested me. I jumped straight into a few new scanlation groups and translated for them. Nothing really worked out - I couldn't really get along with them with my antisocial words (so much for the rumours that introverts are really charismatic online). I hated "ending" all of the conversations - but I guess that's what it's like for me in real life as well.

Anyway, so a year ago, I opened CKM Scans. That time under the name, Chinatown K Manhua. Don't ask me where I got the "K". "Manhua" because it was going to be just a manhua scanlation group (but I couldn't stand doing it). Being a bratty kid, I thought the name was super impressive as it could be abbreviated to Chinatown KM (it still sounds cool in a way, but not very impressive as a non-profit organisation). I think it's because of the "China" in the groups name that never got me many staff, particularly Japanese translators. The name really disgusts me for some reason these days, so I prefer to just call it "CKM".

Anyway, I started learning Japanese (but I'm still not very good, often need a dictionary to help me translate). Doing most of the work myself, I can say that CKM Scans isn't really a success story out there, so don't idolise us. I've been jealous of other groups for a long time now, y'know.

One thing I unexpectedly got so much better at was English. Being a translator, you'd expect to improve in the language (Chinese then later to Japanese) and as a cleaner, you'd expect your photoshop skills to improve. My English, although it's still not perfect lol, I've made massive progress in grammar and spelling.

Okay, that's pretty much the only good "news" you'll hear today, the rest might be a bit heavy....

I'm moving house lol, so that means you can't possibly expect any releases for about a week and a half. My thoughts are as messy as my room, so don't do anything that'll infuriate me.

This one is the main thing and I've wanted to say it for a while.

I'm closing my scanlation division of this group down. Wait, what?

Yeah, I've wanted to for a while now, you shouldn't be so surprised.

I'm going to focus on the light novel division and expand it. To be specific, I'm aiming to finish one volume of Inuhasa and Island and pick up two series - Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan; Tomorrow You Will Die, I Will Revive. Basically those two should be long running projects - of course I'll finish Gu Fang and attempt to finish Right x Light (lol). I like drama in light novels, so that might be the theme of the novel group.

I have no idea what OniGoji's division is going to do, since I haven't told them, but I'll keep their forums intact just in case they need it. They might choose to move on though, it's up to them.

What about my (manga/manhua) projects?

Most of them...you'll see one release or some releases from them before my manga division fully closes down.

You'll see releases (hopefully soon) from the following series:Akatsuki no Ageha - 1 chBoku to Senpai no Tekken Kousai - 1 chKaichou-kun no Shimobe - 1-5 ch (depends)√W.P.B. - Hopefully to end, but I doubt it.Sol Trigger - 1 ch.Black Trick - not really planning to continue it, but may release as apology to translator

I would really like to finish "Aoi" - Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro, like every translation and clean we've got before the disband, but the joint partners are really slow. I want to break the joint but....

What about the series that weren't mentioned.

...then you'd be glad to know that I'm probably going to continue them. This time though, I'm going to scanlate solo. I've pretty much had enough of this "recruiting", "newbie training" rubbish and "organising work" for everyone (see, I'm no responsible person). That stuff just doesn't work for me. What I'm really planning is to move to another site (haven't decided on the host yet, but there's going to be no comment function or anything like that). I've already coded a layout.

The projects that are going to be continued there:Akatsuki no Ageha - though this depends majorally if there's going to be any online raw. I'm not gonna buy that magazine and it's pretty heartless to me to debind tankoubans.Cooking Master Boy - not going to give up on this. It's my goal to finish this and I won't step out of the scanlation world until I finish it.Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang - I don't really have a choice do I? I wanted to make my group as shounen/seinen (but with good art so females can enjoy it too) as possible, but this will have to be one of the exceptions. I mean - you want it finished until where it stops (where it goes on hiatus).Kaidan Tochuu no Big Noise - sorry everyone, haven't released this in a while, but I really like this series, so I'm going to continue it there.Maousama Chotto Sore Totte!! - wow, seriously haven't translated a single chapter for months now. If it's not picked up then and if ciel scans isn't too mad at me, then I'll continue to translate it.

Not sure if anyone is going to be excited about this but......I'm planning to pick up Re-agree (the second version though)! Don't forget I dropped it~~

You'd think, if I'm going to just drop half of the projects and continue half, I should just stay in CKM Scans - there's no need to make another site. That's kind of wrong to me though, because I did set up CKM Scans as a group, but it never turned out to be a group. Well, I did have quite a bit of staff who worked with me over the years, but no one really....made it feel like a group. It was a bit lonely, probably because of my horrible personality and I know it was because I didn't communicate my thoughts most of the time. I did a lot of stuff on impulse and regretted it soon afterwords. A lot of the series at the end, ended up being me who did everything, because I didn't thoroughly discuss the series with anyone first. Sometimes I invented a few names and credited them to relieve my loneliness. It didn't really work though. If I just worked solo, I know that I won't regret misleading new recruits and drive my staff crazy.

There's going to be a slacker timetable there too. The best thing for me though, is that I can pick whatever I want on "impulse" and drop it immediately when I lose interest. That's mainly why there isn't going to be any comment function (it's not going to be a blog lol).

What's my "scanlator site" going to be called? I think I'm just going to call it "xah" and it stands for "xah's apple heaven" or something like that.

There's still going to be a while (1-3 months) before my manga division in CKM Scans closes so you might want to try and stop me before then. It's not very likely you'll succeed though.

Oh, and I'll be keeping the chatbox up even after it closes, so everyone can still pop into chat and pelt other people with yummy food (it's got to be yummy!). I'll be expanding the forum (discussions quite a bit as well) so.........I guess you can still lurk around the forum.

I know some of this stuff might be pretty heavy to hear, but I hope no one will be too sad. I know it's a bit selfish, so I apologise for being like this. I'm really no perfect person.

Wait... by scanlating solo, does that mean you'll do all the work? Won't that kill you?

Oh, I want to read Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan! I read a short 5-chapter manga adaptation of it, and really liked it! (Actually mangas with dark but non-horror tones, psychological trauma/aspects, and amazing plot twists are among my favorites).

I know you said you won't step out of scanlating world until you finish Cooking Master Boy, but just to be sure, please please please don't drop it! I really want to keep reading it, even if I (unfortunately) don't have time to help work on it.

You always have my full support, and if you ever get overwhelmed, I can always help do a chapter or so if it's not finals time or something.

Posts : 142Join date : 2013-08-04Location : in the closet with a flashlight and books

Subject: Re: UPDATES, but no releases sorry Wed Mar 12, 2014 12:46 pm

Since I have contributed nothing (except throwing agar and starting food fights) I support you xah. I mostly care about the light novels so I don't think this affects me as much. Also, if u no longer feel the bug to scan, then don't do it.

Agreed. Please don't feel like you have to do anything xah. You took this up at your own will and nobody would blame you if you grow tired. Just know you have us! We're right here for you, through thick and thin and sweets.

Heeeeey~ I'm new here and when I read this post I felt sad. I would want you to continue translating Kaichou-kun no Shimobe, but guess I'll just have to bet on my Japanese reading ability(in which I suck at). Haha! Don't worry though! I'll still be cheering you on!

Way late to this party, but none the less I'll give my thoughts on the matter.

I'm honestly rather sad about this impending shutdown from xah's division. xah molded this fantastic place in the heaven it is now. Everything is stable, peaceful, and honestly is a scanlation group with a warm community that makes it all feel complete. I honestly can't see this place even exist without xah here. That's how connected ckmscans is with xah to me.

I understand her feelings however, again, she made this fantastic place and yet, not many has even tried to become apart of her world. Recruits, barely anyone wants to join and make our together worthwhile, all the while bringing fantastic manga to all. Yes, there is a community here, and yes there are members here. But in the viewpoint that this place doesn't feel all that much alive, it does feel rather lonely here. I place some of that blame onto myself seeing how I haven't been very active, and for that I am sorry xah. I will be more invested in this group in my own little way as much as I can.

But xah, if you want to leave this heaven to create a whole new one. Then I completely understand your feelings, you want to start fresh, begin anew. Maybe it's time for such a change. But hopefully, I can change your mind just a bit during your remaining days. As for my division, this news comes as a rather shock to us seeing how we always felt this group as a timeless experience that would never end. And while we do in fact plan on continuing to scanlate both ULTRAMAN and GODZILLA with the aims of staying, we agree in that we hope you change your mind xah. Ckmscans really isn't the same without you.